Choosing Kitchen Tools – 5 Tips

If you like to choose from a nice big selection of kitchen tools, online shopping is the way to go. Whether you’re looking for essentials like pans and knives or you’re into gadgets and electric tools, you’ll find a huge selection here at Culinary Collection.

1. Knives

Knives are one of the few things that I want to hold and feel before I buy. They are very personal tools and you may want to feel the weight and how the handle fits your hand before you invest. However, you can still buy online once you’ve made your choice and you may well find your option at a lower price. Buy the best knives you can afford, wash them by hand, keep them sharp and they can last you a lifetime.

2. Pans

Pans are the other kitchen tools which I like to feel the weight of before I invest. Bear in mind that when you lift a pan, it will invariably be hot and contain either water or food. If you are a small woman with weak wrists, you may want to think twice about those beautifully coloured cast iron pans unless they have a handle at either side that you can lift with oven gloves. Again, buy the best you can but check online because you’ll invariably find the same brand and model for less money.

3. Fruit and Vegetable Preparation

The sky’s the limit here in terms of choice; from a basic peeler or grater to a mandolin or a fancy spiralizer and everything in between. I think a peeler is essential, a grater with a box to collect what you’ve grated is useful and microplane graters are fantastic for small quantities and fine grating.

Mandolins are excellent if you want very thin slices and often come with a selection of blades for grating and julienning as well as slicing but you need to make sure that a guard is provided and you should use it as the blades are very, very sharp. Unfortunately this means that there is a small amount of wastage but that’s better than losing half a finger.

Spiralizers are relatively new and are great for making kids vaguely interested in eating vegetables. They’re also fantastic for making interesting looking salads or for creating veg such as courgette spirals to replace pasta if you’re dieting. These range from simple handheld gadgets to all singing, all dancing electric models. Go for something with a few different blades if you can.

4. Measuring and Weighing Tools

If recipes are to work, especially cakes and desserts, then these are essential. I recommend a set of measuring spoons ranging from ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) to 1 tablespoon (15 ml), a 1 pint (0.5 litre) measuring jug and a set of kitchen scales which has both imperial and metric weights or if you prefer, a set of measuring cups.

5. Small Electrical Appliances

A food processor is a great investment. A good one will come with a chopping blade, a dough hook and a whisk as well as two or three grating and slicing disks. Sometimes, there’s a blender as well which is good for soups.

If you have room, a mini processor is good for making small quantities of breadcrumbs, chopping nuts and herbs and grinding spices. One of these often comes with a stick blender which is also handy for soups.

The trend now is for multi-functional appliances. For example, the Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, which is a multi-functional electric pressure cooker, slow cooker with sauté/browning facility, rice cooker, yoghurt maker, steamer and warmer. Imagine the space you could save by investing in one of these and the meals you can prepare in half the usual time after a hard day at work!

Choose a selection of these kitchen tools while browsing our Culinary Collection pages and you’ll have a great basis for a fully equipped kitchen.